


Frost Giant

by Invisible206



Category: Loki (Marvel) Fandom, Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Jotunn | Frost Giant, Loki (Marvel) Does What He Wants, Prisoner of War, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:40:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26168026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Invisible206/pseuds/Invisible206
Summary: Rea is a Frost Giant healer who is captured while accompanying a rescue team searching for youths who had stumbled into Asgard and become lost.She attracts the attention of the Second Prince.  Loki is fascinated by her and starts to learn the truth about the Jotnar- until things become chaotic. Rea becomes a different sort of prisoner; her world is changed forever as the Aesir Prince descends into darkness.Set before and during the first Thor movie.
Relationships: Loki (Marvel)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 31





	1. Chapter 1

The prisoners were paraded past the princes. Chained and muzzled, their red on red eyes still blazed defiantly at their captors as they were marched away to rot in the dungeons beneath the palace. 

Loki noticed one in the back was smaller than the others. He knitted his brows in curiosity, waiting for the captured warrior to get closer so he could get a better look.

Something was very strange about this one. He suddenly realized with a shock that the chained jotunn appeared to be a female. 

This couldn't be true. The savages were all male. The Asgardians believed that the frost giants we're all hermaphrodites, somehow concealing both sets of sex organs. At least they had never seen a female in battle, which was the only way they ever interacted with them. 

But this one was very feminine. Her smaller body was curvy, and her chest plate was not flat, as her comrade’s chest plates were. Her long blood-red hair was coming loose from the single braid that hung down her back. Her curled horns were polished and as sharp as daggers. She was still strong and muscular, but the shape of her body was like that of a female Asgardian warrior. 

Loki was fascinated. As he stared at her, she turned her head to meet his gaze. Her red eyes were filled with hate, and she showed no submission. 

”Stop!” said Loki impulsively. ”Bring the small one to my chambers!”

”Brother, these creatures are not tameable, and that one only looks small next to the others, it's as tall as you are.” Thor looked at Loki as if he were mad. 

”It will be tamed, brother.” Loki was barely paying attention to Thor as he stared mesmerized at the blue-skinned creature. 

Two guards appeared at either side of the chained jotunn woman, and each roughly grabbed an arm. She let out a feral growl through the muzzle and tried to shake them off, but she was dragged out of the line and taken away from her fellow prisoners. 

***

The blue woman was brought to Loki’s chambers in shackles, and her hands were chained behind her back. The muzzle protected Loki from her sharp teeth, but he wanted to speak to his new acquisition, and he slowly approached her. 

She didn't flinch away. She continued her crimson glare, and as he got closer, a low growl rumbled from her throat. 

Loki stopped a couple of feet away from her. Thor was right. She was as tall as he was; her eyes were precisely at the level of his, which felt strangely intimate. 

”I'm not going to hurt you.” Loki raised his hands to the latch of the muzzle, and her growl grew louder. 

She leaned her head slightly away from him, and her brilliant red eyes narrowed. Loki took a quick breath and deftly flipped the latch that held the muzzle to her face. It clattered uselessly to the ground. 

The blue woman spits blood onto the clean marble floor, to Loki’s disgust. He would have that cleaned up later. There was blood smeared around her lips and chin. These muzzles were brutal contraptions. 

For a moment, he thought of getting a warm wet cloth and wiping her clean, but she snarled and displayed sharp teeth threateningly, never breaking eye contact with the prince. 

”I am your master now,” said Loki. ”You will learn to obey me.”

The woman silently glared into his eyes, revealing nothing. 

”Can you speak? What is your name, pet?” asked Loki 

Silence.

”You will talk eventually, for your sake I hope it's before you bore me enough to send you back to the dungeons with your comrades.”

The woman took a breath through her nose, and a strange look crossed her face, then she spoke. ”I am Rea, and I am the one who will kill you, traitor.”

Loki forced himself to chuckle nonchalantly. ”Is that so, little giant? How am I a traitor?”

”You kill your own kind and wear the face of your enemies.”

Loki was taken aback. Perhaps this little Jotunn was insane. ”I see,” he said. 

Loki looked her up and down. She wore armor on her chest and arms, and thick boots on her feet. She wore an elaborately beaded loincloth and nothing else. Her blue skin was covered in light, raised markings that accentuated her shape. 

She still had blood and grime from battle covering her, and she smelled of sweat. Loki needed to figure out how to bathe her without getting killed. 

He called a female servant and sent her to find clothing for his new acquisition. The Jotunn couldn't walk around in just a loincloth, besides it was filthy from the battle. 

”You need a bath, can I trust you to do that yourself or will I need to bathe you?”

Rea growled. 

”Hmmm. I don't think you are ready for that freedom, sweet savage. You will need to earn it then.” Loki took her arm and led her into the bathing chamber. She walked without a fight, and perhaps a bath was appealing to her. 

As he ran a steaming bath, she began to struggle. ”Don’t be afraid, I only want to get you clean, you stink.” Loki wrinkled his nose as he tried to stop her from struggling. 

”You will boil me alive! I will not go into that water! My skin will blister! Is this how you will kill me?” Rea was finally showing fear. 

Loki stared at her for a moment and then took a breath as he comprehended. Of course, a Frost Giant would be afraid of a hot bath, and it would be a form of torture for them. He quickly turned off the hot water and drained what had started to fill the large tub. He started over with cold water. 

Rea calmed down but said nothing. 

Loki let the tub fill and turned his attention to the still shackled woman. ”I think I will bathe you with your chains this time, pet.” he fumbled with her vambraces behind her back and managed to get them free. Then he used his magic to remove her boots without taking off the shackles. 

He then shifted his attention to her breastplate. It buckled over her shoulders and around her waist, he unfastened and managed to remove it without magic. He saw that she had a small, sweat-soaked cloth halter underneath. He untied the halter and threw it to the side of the bathing chamber, freeing her large breasts. He was fascinated by her dark blue nipples as they hardened when exposed. He tried not to stare and moved to untie her loincloth. 

He removed the loincloth and threw it over with the halter. These things would be discarded. 

Rea stood naked before him. Chin in the air in haughty defiance. Loki smirked and gently pushed her towards the bath. Her shackles were too tight to allow her to step in, so Loki risked being bitten and lifted the tall woman into the bath. She was his height, but he was strong, and she didn't struggle. 

She sat in the cool water, and Loki untied her unruly braid so he could wash her hair. Her blood-red hair was silky and wavy from the braid, Loki wondered if it would be straight when it dried. 

She cooperated silently with the bath, even putting her head back so Loki could rinse the soap from her hair. 

When the grime and blood from the battle was all washed away, Loki couldn't help but admire her pale blue skin. He thought it odd, but he was happy he had chosen to bring her to his chambers. She was a fascinating creature.

The servant returned with several large dresses. Most Asgardian women weren't quite as tall as Rea, so it had been a challenge. Loki looked through the offerings and chose a lightweight white summer gown. He was sure that Rea would not like being covered, it was hot in Asgard compared to Jotunheim, but this one would keep her cooler than the others and conform to the Asgardian's sense of modesty. 

He instructed the servant to stay and help him dress the giant. This would be tricky with her chains. In the end, Loki used his magic to finish the job. 

He stepped back to look at the now clean giantess. Her wet hair hung relatively straight, Loki instructed the servant girl to comb it out. He led Rea to a chair to sit on so that the servant girl could reach. 

A loud knock came from the entrance to his chambers, and the Allfather with two Einherjar barged in. 

”Loki!” Odin’s face was red, and his brows knitted angrily over his golden patch and single eye ”What are you doing with that prisoner!”

”I would keep her with me, father. I have never seen a female Jotunn, and I wish to study her.”

”There are no female Frost Giants, my son, that one is just a shapeshifter trying to deceive you. It is dangerous to keep it here.”

”I do not sense spells or active magic, father, and I believe she is real.”

Rea sat still as the servants shaking hands continued brushing out her red locks. Only her eyes moved from one speaker to the other. 

”She will be returned to the dungeons with her comrades,” the Allfather commanded, gesturing to the einherjar who quickly stepped forward. 

”Father, please, I can learn more about our enemy!” Loki knew it was hopeless to beg, but he was fascinated by the blue woman and did not want to give her up.

The two Einherjar each took one of Rea’s arms and roughly pulled her up from the chair. Her red eyes narrowed for a moment, and she turned to make eye contact with Loki for a second, then stared straight forward without expression as she was dragged from the room. 

”My son, if you put a dress on a bilgesnipe, it's still a bilgesnipe,” Odin said.


	2. Chapter 2

The Einherjar marched Rea down the palace hallways in her bare feet. Her boots had been discarded with her armor and clothing in Loki’s bathing chamber, and they hadn't found slippers big enough for her yet. 

The air was too warm for her, even though her white dress was light, it covered too much of her skin, making her breathe heavily in the heat. 

Soon they got to the dungeons, which were comfortably cool. The polished floors and carved walls gave way to rough rock floors and unfinished hallways. She was taken several sections down until they came to an empty cell between one of her Frost Giant comrades and an elderly Dark Elf. 

The Einherjar removed her shackles and chains and shoved her quickly into the cell, locking it securely behind her. 

The cell was mostly empty, with a thin pad and blanket on the floor in one corner and hole for a toilet in the very back. The wall was a crystal clear force field—no privacy whatsoever either from guards or other prisoners. 

The Jotunn in the next cell stared at her. 

”What are you wearing, Healer? What have they done with you?” He walked up to the force field that separated them to get a better look. 

”The younger prince tried to keep me as a pet. The Allfather disapproved.” Rea smirked. 

”An odd rescue, Healer, I'm sure he had unpleasant plans for you.” 

”Indeed, but oddly he smelled like a Jotunn,” she mused. 

”You know his grandmother was Bestla, so he’s a quarter Jotunn. It doesn't seem that strange that he would smell like us.” 

”That makes sense now,” said Rea

“I am Ulf, what is your name, Healer?” Ulf cocked his bald head to the side as he listened. 

“I am called Rea, friend Ulf.” 

Soon the guards brought them their food. It was some sort of bread and some overcooked vegetables along with some unidentifiable dried meat. 

”We will die of malnutrition!” the male Jotunn said in disgust, giving the tray a slight shove away from him. 

”Eat it anyway,” said Rea. ”You will starve to death sooner if you refuse” She picked up a piece of bread and sniffed it. It seemed at least safe to eat, so she took a bite. 

Her neighbor did the same. The Dark Elf, on the other side, was already finished with his meal and stared over at her. She ignored him and worked on choking down her food. 

Soon after the guards took the empty trays, Rea had a visitor.

”I found you some slippers, Rea.” the second prince handed the slippers to a guard, who unceremoniously flung them into the cell one after the other.

Rea made eye contact for a moment, and then collected the slippers, which had fallen in separate parts of the cell. 

They were very soft white leather, matching the gown, which was accumulating grime from her surroundings and no longer pristine. She put them on, they were very comfortable, and it was nice not to feel the rough ground of the cell.

”Thank you.” Rea said.

”Thank you, Your Highness” corrected Loki.

”Thank you, Your Highness” Said Rea softly, her face blank. 

Loki nodded and turned on his heel and swiftly left the dungeon. 

“Hmmm,” Ulf hummed at what had transpired. “You have an admirer, it seems.”

***

”Loki!!” The Allfather’s face was red. ”you are to stay out of the dungeons! Stay away from that Frost Giant!!”

”Yes, Father, ” the prince responded with his head down. 

The Allfather turned to speak to Frigga, and Loki swiftly left the throne room.

The Trickster would find a loophole- there were always loopholes. 

Loki was fascinated with the blue woman. She was exotic and very taboo, dangerous, and exciting. He would not leave her alone to rot in the dungeons regardless of what his father commanded. 

***

Days passed. Rea didn't count them. There didn't seem to be a point. They were to rot in these dungeons forever. 

The Dark Elf next to her had long gone insane. He would spontaneously break out in song-or hysterical laughter. Sometimes he would try to speak to her, but he was never coherent. 

She talked to Ulf for hours every day. He bored her to tears, sometimes repeating himself. He was older than she was, had a wife and a nearly adult child. He missed them and spoke of them often. 

Rea feared that she would follow the dark elf down the path of insanity. There was only so much she could take. 

Then, one day, or it could have been night, she couldn't tell anymore, she saw a shimmering in the corner of her cell. Slowly it coalesced into a man. It was the second prince who had tried to keep her. 

He looked her up and down with a smirk. ”You are filthy again, pet. Look at what you have done to your pretty dress and slippers.” Loki tutted and shook his head.

Rea looked over to Ulf, who acted as if nothing had happened. 

”Only you can see me, little giant, and I have camouflaged your reactions, no one knows I am here but you and me.

Rea rushed to him and took a swing at his jaw. Her fist passed through the empty air, and the illusion did not blink.

”Oh, my dear... I'm not actually here. Did you think a prince such as myself would lower himself into this filthy cell?” Loki grinned broadly. 

”Why are you doing this? What do you want?” growled Rea.

”Information, you are very interesting to me.” said the prince. 

Rea was silent. She just stared in his direction, waiting. 

”Why do we never see Jotunn women fighting? you are the first I have ever seen.”

Rea stayed silent. 

”I can make your life more comfortable if you answer. I can also make it much worse if you don't.” Loki started to pace and fidget with his hands. 

Rea said nothing. 

In the blink of an eye, Loki’s illusion was toe to toe with her, his nose inches from hers, and his emerald green eyes searching her red on red ones. 

”I don't recommend ignoring me.” he purred. 

Rea let out a breath. 

”You have seen us. Female warriors blend in with the males, and we are natural shapeshifters.” she said. 

Loki took that information in. ”Are there other females here?”

”I do not know who is here.” Rea admitted. 

”Why are you in female form?” asked the prince. 

”I am a battlefield healer. I do not fight. There is no reason for me to shapeshift, and it takes energy I could use for healing.” Rea said. 

”You use seidr for healing!” Loki raised his eyebrows, and his mouth slightly opened in surprise. 

”Yes, it is a form of seidr,” Rea agreed. 

It was Loki’s turn to be silent. He contemplated the blue woman before him. She intrigued him in ways that confused him. Even in the filthy rag that was left of her dress, he found her appealing. 

”I will reward you for your cooperation. I shall have some books sent to you.” He said as he faded away. 

The next day a guard flung three books into Rea’s cell. They landed badly and slid across the filthy floor, and one opened to the ground. Rea gathered them up and sat them on her lap. 

Unfortunately, they were all in Asgardian runes, and Rea had not been taught to read Asgardian runes, there had been no reason for her to learn them.

”Asshole Prince!!” she growled under her breath, Pounding her fist on the mattress pad. ”This is how he tortures me!” she slammed the cover of the book closed and gently set the stack down on a table of ice that she created for them. They were still books, deserving of respect for the knowledge they held, even if it was not available to her. 

”Your admirer sends you gifts.” observed Ulf. What are the books about?

”I have no idea.” Rea said in disgust. ”They are in Asgardian, and one seems to be a simple spellbook, another perhaps about botany, and the third appears to be a novel. I can only look at the pictures like a child.” she sighed. 

***  
Several days went by, and Rea studied the books. She wasn't getting very far, but it gave her something to do, for which she actually was grateful. 

After what may have been a week, the shimmering in the corner returned, and the prince appeared. 

”Are you enjoying the books I sent you, pet?” he asked with a smirk. 

”You knew I wouldn't be able to read them.” Rea said coldly, narrowing her crimson eyes. 

”Hmmm... How unfortunate.” he mused,” perhaps if you tell me more, I might be persuaded to teach you.”

”I'm just a battle healer, and I’m not privy to any secrets that you could use. Unless you want to learn how to set a bone or stop a stab wound from bleeding out.” Rea tried not to growl. 

Loki smirked and narrowed his eyes as he approached her, his hands fidgeting in front of him. ”I think you would be wrong about that.”

”What do you want from me then?” the Jotunn woman asked. 

”Entertain me!” a green velvet daybed appeared behind the prince, and he sat down and reclined comfortably, looking expectantly at Rea. 

She wrinkled her delicate blue nose and took a step back. ”What do you want me to do? Dance?”

”Do Frost Giants dance? If so, please do.” Loki said, waving his hand towards her. 

”We do, but in groups, and with music.” she said. 

”Then sing me a song!” He said with a grin.

”I don't know many songs... Most are just nursery rhymes, nothing special.”

”Sing me a Frost Giant nursery rhyme, now! Stop stalling, woman!”

Rea clenched her teeth in annoyance. She thought for a moment and started to sing a song she used to get her younger siblings to sleep, a silly song about baby ice squirrels. 

Loki smiled wide; his smile even reached his eyes. When she was done, he got up and clapped. 

”Such a sweet song, how are you so gentle with your children when you eat Asgardian children and leave your runts to freeze to death?” he said 

Rea was shocked. She wasn't sure if he was serious. ”Your Majesty, we don't eat sentient beings... Most of our meat comes from the sea. Surely you joke? We would never kill our own children.”

Loki was quiet. This is what he had been taught all his life. Frost giants were hideous nightmares who stole naughty children for their soup pots... Wait... Had he been misled? Or was this creature just denying the practice to look better on his eyes?

”Hmmm, very interesting. I will return.”

Loki and the velvet couch disappeared.


	3. Chapter 3

The Dark Elf had been screaming incoherently for over an hour in his own language. Rea and Ulf were on edge from the noise. 

”Please stop!” Rea begged. ”Tell me what the problem is, I will listen to you if you stop screaming.”

He stopped, much to Rea’s surprise, and walked over to the forcefield between their cells. His hair was meticulously braided, and the braids are woven carefully, despite his erratic behavior. His coal-black eyes stared out from his ashen face, and he opened his mouth to speak. 

”Ragnarok is coming soon.” he said in a voice so hoarse from screaming that it was practically a whisper. ”The dark prince will lead your people in ships made from the fingernails of mortals.”

Rea nodded her head and knitted her brows. This was better than listening to him scream, sort of. ”I see.” she shook her head to show interest.

”The wolven son of the Dark Prince will kill the Allfather and devour the sun and the moon, the twilight of the Gods is coming!” Solid black eyes seemed to bore into hers-desperate to transfer his information to someone. 

”I hear you, what is your name, my friend?” Rea realized that she had never asked him. 

”I am Unhan, and I see what will be.”

”Why are you in the dungeon, friend Unhan?” asked Rea

That seemed to be enough social activity for Unhan, though at least he was calmed down. He began humming to himself and rocking back and forth. 

”Good job, Healer! You seem to heal minds as well.” shouted Ulf across her cell. ” Thank you for calming him down.”

”I couldn't take it. Did you hear what he said? So very strange. I'm afraid he’s completely lost. I wonder how long he’s been here?”

”I thought the Dark Elves were all gone, ” said Ulf. ”he may have been here thousands of years.” 

Just then, the small door to her cell was opened, and a tablet of paper and some writing implements were haphazardly flung into her cell. 

”More gifts from your admirer, ” Ulf chuckled. ”Maybe you could ask him for some better food for us. I could use some fresh fish instead of this land-dwelling leather they feed us.”

Rea gathered the paper and quills from the dirty cell floor. They weren't too severely damaged. 

Ulf suddenly lost interest in their conversation, and in the corner of her eye, she spotted the shimmering that announced Loki’s arrival. 

”Greetings, little monster, did you miss me?” He was dressed in a rich silken green tunic and soft black trousers, and his hair meticulously slicked back behind his ears. His arms were spread as if expecting an embrace, or some sort of exuberant greeting.

Rea snorted and stared. ”Hello, your Majesty, to what do I owe for today's visit?” 

”I see that you have received my latest gifts, I'm here to teach you how to read, what do you think of that, my dear savage?” his lips curled in a smirk as he looked her up and down. 

Rea wrinkled her nose, but she actually did want to learn to read Asgardian- particularly if it meant that the prince would bring her a steady supply of books... At least until he got bored of her.

”Ok. Let's start, ” she said, straightening the papers in her arms as she walked towards the illusion. She created a table and a chair for herself from ice.

The dark prince's image summoned an ornate chair padded with green velvet and sat at her ice table, his knees splayed to claim territory. 

Rea rolled her crimson eyes and placed the papers and quills on the table as she sat gracefully onto her simple chair of ice. 

Loki took a piece of paper and quickly and elegantly wrote out the Asgardian runes. Rea was surprised that he was actually a very patient teacher, though she was a quick learner. 

The lesson went on for a couple of hours before Loki suddenly stood up. ”That's all for today, my little villain, study hard, and I will be back in a few days. With that, he vanished before she could respond. 

Rea stared at the spot he had occupied, then shook her head and looked down at her papers. Asgardian runes were like a shorter version of Jotnar runes. She would have this mastered in no time. 

***

Meanwhile, the palace prepared for the coronation of Thor Odinson, much to the disgust of Loki Odinson. 

The younger prince saw his brother as nothing more than a war mongering child. He had no talent for diplomacy. His answer to everything was to hit it with his hammer. Loki feared for Asgard and the nine realms if his brother were to become Allfather now, perhaps Thor could mature in a thousand years or so. 

He had to come up with something, some way to prove to the Allfather that Thor was not ready to ascend to the throne. The safety of the nine realms depended on his ascension being delayed for as long as possible. 

***

Unhan started to cackle loudly. His black eyes were bottomless pits that stared at Rea, trying to draw her in. “You!” He gasped between shrieks, “You will be Queen for a heartbeat! You will watch them burn from afar!”

“Stop, Unhan! Please stop!” Rea wasn’t in the mood to deal with this. “Calm yourself, friend, please.”

The dark elf stood close enough to the force field between their cells that his nose almost touched it. His insane grin made the hair on the back of Rea’s neck stand up. 

Slowly the recognition faded from his eyes, and he turned and walked back to the center of his cell. A shimmering in Rea’s cell announced the arrival of the Dark Prince’s projection.

“He can be very annoying, can’t he? Sometimes he’s right, but even a broken clock is right twice a day.” Loki mused as he coalesced into view.

Rea sighed. ”How long has he been here in the dungeon?” 

“For as long as I can remember.” said Loki. “When I was a boy, I used to sneak down here to listen to his stories, but eventually, he stopped telling coherent tales and just started screaming his premonitions. I don't know why he’s here; my father refused to answer my questions. He just told me to keep away from him, so of course, I spent a lot of time down here.” Loki’s smile broadened at the memory. 

Rea shook her head and glanced over to the Dark Elf, who seemed to be arguing with someone only he could see. 

The Dark Prince’s face became serious as he looked back at Rea ”I need some Jotunn mercenaries, ” Loki said, changing the subject abruptly. ”Tell me where I can find some Jotunn men for hire.”

Rea looked at him like he was crazy, spread her arms, and looked around her cell. ”What makes you think I can help you with that? Even if I wasn't in this cell, I'm a healer, and this isn't the sort of individual that I would be in contact with.”

”You must know what taverns to avoid! You must know where the fights and the injuries occur. Tell me where I can find some outlaws who would appreciate Asgardian currency.” The prince’s illusion walked up to her and stared into her eyes intensely. 

Rea sighed and broke contact, looking at the ground. ”I guess there’s a tavern on the eastern outskirts of Utgard. It's called The Snow Fox’s Lair, and it gets pretty rowdy. You might find some mercenaries there.”

”Good girl, thank you, ” said Loki. ”Now, bring me one of the books, and we will work on reading for a bit.”

Rea chose the book with the pictures of plants and brought it over to her ice table. The prince conjured his green velvet chair, and gracefully sat down.

Loki stared across the table at Rea, studying her face. 

Rea fidgeted uncomfortably. ”What is it, your Majesty?”

Loki seemed surprised that he had been caught, then he asked,” Do the raised lines mean anything? Or are they just for decoration? How old were you when they cut them?”

Rea was taken aback. ”Cut them? Your majesty? We are born with our markings. They indicate our family lineage and sometimes our gifts. This line, ” she raised her finger to her temple, ”indicates possession of siedr, and this, ”she moved her finger up to her forehead,” marks me as a descendent of Skadi.”

Loki hummed as his eyes studied her face. ”I see.” he looked down at the book on the table. Rea opened it to the first page, and they started reading.

An hour into the lesson, Rea looked up to see the prince staring at her again. She felt her face darken to a deeper blue, and she gave him a half-smile. ”What are you thinking about now, your majesty?”

”So many things that I was taught as a child are turning out not to be accurate, no wonder my father would not allow me to keep you in my rooms. It wouldn’t do if we were to start seeing you as something more than violent brutes.”

Rea stared at the floor again. Remembering that he had bathed her made her feel strange. The gown he had given her was nothing but filthy rags now. What would it have been like if she had been allowed to stay with him? 

Loki snorted and stood up with a smirk. ”Enough, for now, my little beast. I will return in a few days.” he said as his image faded to nothing. 

***

The Dark Prince opened his eyes to his empty room. He stood up from his luxurious green bed and walked to the balcony to look out at the garden. He knew just where there was a portal that would take him to the eastern outskirts of Utgard. He grabbed a heavy fur cloak and teleported to the location of the magical pathway. 

Loki braced himself as he stepped through the portal and immediately shivered at the cold wind. The snow was blowing all around, but he quickly found The Snow Fox’s Lair and entered. 

The room was crowded and everything was huge, the tables and benches were made of ice, and the Jotunns were all drinking and laughing loudly. 

A couple of giants were playing a game of ice darts, and Loki ducked just in time to avoid getting hit. 

”What have we here, an Aesir? What are you doing behind enemy lines, tiny beast ?” an incredibly broad jotunn with long black hair and thick, curled horns walked up to Loki and growled. The giant's companions snorted and laughed drunkenly. 

Loki looked nonchalantly up into the broad jotunn’s glowing red eyes, ”I have a proposal that I think will interest you...”


	4. Chapter 4

Rea ran her fingers through her blood-red hair to get the tangles out. She tore a few ribbons from the hem of her gown and used them to tie off her braids. The dress was filthy; she wished for a change of clothing and a bath but knew that these wishes were never going to come true. 

She thought about the huge bathtub in the prince's chambers, how he had washed and rinsed her hair so carefully, so gently. She started to feel a little warmth and shook her head. No! Developing an attachment to her captor would not be a good idea at all.

But why was the Aesir prince spending time teaching a Jotunn prisoner how to read? What did he really want?

Rea’s mind wanted to go all over the place. Did he really want to learn about the Jotnar? Or was he just interested in her strangeness? Her blue skin and red eyes, her horns... Or the parts she had in common with all females? Was she an exotic conquest to be abandoned to the dungeons when he tired of her?

Unhan was mumbling to the ceiling, his hands outstretched dramatically, and his black eyes were staring beseechingly upwards. 

This was her life now, stuck between a crazy Dark Elf and a broken Jotunn warrior missing his family. 

A shimmer appeared in the corner. Rea felt a twist of excitement in her belly that made her frown disapprovingly. 

The Prince was agitated. He paced the length of the cell a couple of times before turning to her. His expression changed as he studied Rea’s face, a slight smile curled on his lip. 

”Why the frown, little monster? Are you not thrilled that I have come to visit?”

Rea shook her head, ”It is nothing, your Majesty, I was just lost in thought.”

”Come here, pet, I am in need of a distraction today. My oafish brother is set to be crowned king tomorrow.” Loki scowled as the green velvet daybed appeared behind him, and he stretched out comfortably. 

Rea wasn't sure what he wanted, so she just created an ice chair for herself to sit next to the prince's illusion. 

”Hmmm, I suppose there isn't much you can do, given the circumstances. Tell me more about Jotnar culture.” he waved his hands dismissively at the word ”culture” as if it was a joke.

Rea exhaled forcefully through her nose. The Aesir seemed to have many strange ideas about her people. ”What would you like to know, your majesty?”

”Tell me how you became a healer, tell me about your family- how you creatures live.”

Rea gazed at the face of the illusion. His complexion was as pale as moonlight and without markings or blemishes of any kind. His eyes were grayish green like the sea. His features were sharp, and his lips were thin. He wasn’t bad to look at-for an Aesir. 

”Well? Speak to me, or I will find my entertainment elsewhere!” said the image of the prince.

”I... I was born with seider, so I had the opportunity to train as a sorceress or as a healer. I chose to train as a healer because I wanted to help people, perhaps to work with children.”

”What did your parents think of you choosing this path?” asked Loki

”They were pleased. I have two brothers; both of them have chosen to be fishermen to feed our people.”

”Your people eat a lot of fish, then?” the prince wasn’t acting like he really cared about the answer.

”Yes, most of our diet naturally comes from the sea. 

“I see. What else do you do when you aren’t terrorizing Midgard or sneaking into Asgard? What were you planning to destroy here, anyway? Or were you looking for slaves?”

Rea sighed. At this point, she was coming to expect the bizarre accusations from the prince. “I don’t know much about Midgard. We haven’t been there in my lifetime. We were in Asgard looking for some very young sorcery students who got stuck here when they were playing with magic that they weren’t ready to be using. We thought we were going to have to rescue them from the Aesir. I don’t know their fate.”

The prince frowned. “I don’t remember any small Frost Giants among the captives, other than you. I guess they are still on the loose.”

“They would just want to get home. Maybe they already have,” said Rea.

Loki’s face softened, and he sighed. “You are very boring for a savage and murderous beast, but I do enjoy your company.”

Rea shook her head and raised her eyebrow. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, your majesty.”

Loki studied her face and smiled. “Tell me more about your life in Jotunheim, pet.” He arranged himself on the daybed in what should have been a comfortable position, but his stress showed through. 

Rea’s mind flashed the idea that she would like to rub his shoulders. The thought made her scowl. 

“Don’t frown at me, beast!” He thought a minute and then sighed. “You are almost pretty when you smile. Almost, for a monster, that is.” Loki waved his hand when he spoke as if that would brush away the feelings he was developing. 

Rea didn’t know what to think. There was nothing else to break up the time. How could this hurt anything?

She told the prince about day to day life on Jotunheim. Answered his strange questions, some of which made her laugh. Hours passed, the prince’s image seemed to start to doze off, then it flickered and disappeared. 

***

The time of the coronation had arrived. Loki stood outside the great hall with his brother, both of them in their ceremonial armor and ornate helms. 

They joked with each other as brothers do, and Loki felt a little tinge of guilt at what he had planned. As ill-prepared for the crown as Thor was, Loki still loved his brother dearly. 

Finally, the time came, and Thor sauntered through the crowd, throwing his hammer, spinning it into the air, and catching it playfully for the adoring crowd. Loki tried not to roll his eyes. 

Thor stopped at his father’s throne and held his breath as the current Allfather spoke the vows he was to take. 

Suddenly Odin looked away. ”Frost Giants!” he interrupted himself. 

The crowd lost its cohesion- Thor and Loki rushed out of the great hall following Odin and his Einherjar to the weapons vault. 

They swiftly entered the chamber where the Frost Giant’s most significant artifact, the Fimbulwinter of Ymir- the Casket of Ancient Winters, captured by the Aesir was kept. 

The chamber was a disaster of fire and ice. Charred Frost Giants lay dead next to frozen Aesir guards. Nothing was alive in the room as the huge Destroyer backed itself into its niche and darkened. 

Thor bellowed,” The Jotunns must pay for what they’ve done!”

Odin Allfather answered,” They have paid, with their lives.” 

Loki silently watched as Thor fought with their father, insisting that Jotunhiem had committed an act of war. 

Odin did not feel that retaliation was called for in this case, but Thor felt the need to show his strength as king in the protection of Asgard.

Odin reminded him that he was not king, not yet, and it wasn't his call. 

With that, Thor stormed away. Loki followed. 

***

Rea noticed the agitation of the guards. Something big had happened in the world above the dungeons. She tried to listen but only heard bits and pieces. Something about a failed Frost Giant attack disrupting the coronation. 

One of the guards glared at her and Ulf. Another spat at her force field, leaving a trail as the spittle dripped down. Rea was disgusted, thinking that it would never get cleaned off. 

“What do you think has happened?” She asked Ulf.

“Nothing that will change our lives, Healer.” Ulf shook his head and sat down on his mattress. “They didn’t come here to free us, and I don’t care what happens to the Aesir.”

Suddenly Unhan started to cackle loudly. He laughed so hard it gave him a coughing fit, and when he stopped coughing, he chuckled to himself and approached the force field between his and Rea’s cells.

He looked knowingly at Rea and nodded. “It begins,” he said with an uncharacteristically gentle smile, his pale eyebrows jerking up in punctuation. 

Rea couldn’t help but shudder. 

Several hours passed, and the tension grew stronger. Guards in the hallway were saying that the crown prince had been banished to Midgard. 

More time passed, and there was a great commotion in the hallway. Loki stormed up to the force field in full armor, wearing his horned helm. In his hand was Gungnir, the Allfather’s spear.

“You knew!” He roared at Rea, punctuating his accusation by slamming Gungnir's end against the dungeon floor. “You knew all along!”

Rea looked over at Ulf, who was watching in shock, then over at Unhan, who was smiling calmly at her, he bowed his head slightly in her direction. 

The enraged prince poked at a hidden control panel, and the forcefield at the front of Rea’s cell disappeared. He rushed furiously in and grabbed Rea’s arm, jerking her roughly to his side. 

“I don’t know what you are talking about!” Rea tried to struggle free, but Loki’s grip was too firm. In her terror, she tried to frostbite his hand where it touched her bare skin, but to her surprise, his skin merely turned blue, and he squeezed harder and shook her in punishment. Rea started to cry in pain and confusion. 

“I don’t understand! What have I done? Why are you blue? Why are you so angry at me?” She sobbed as he dragged her through the dungeon halls. 

“You knew I was a Frost Giant- like you, a monster! You knew when we met!” he hissed so that only she could hear. 

Suddenly Rea tripped and fell to her knees on the rough, rocky ground, steaks of blood stained the front of her ragged gown where her knees were battered. 

Loki yanked her to her feet, but something else was wrong. A green glow surrounded her and it was as if the gown had become longer. She started to step on it. She reached her hand down to pull the bottom of the dress up off the ground and gasped at what she saw.

Her feet... Her feet slipped out of the enormous white slippers, and she stood barefoot, her feet had shrunk, and they were pink!

She let go of the gown and looked at her hand, it was pink as well, and her black claws were now flat and blunt. She stared at Loki, ”What have you done to me?”

”We are truly the same now. You are a monster in disguise... Just like me!” Loki snarled.

As he dragged her forward, the halls became brighter, and the floors were smooth as they entered the palace. Loki brought the terrified woman to his chambers. 

Three maids waited for him there, and he shoved Rea at them. She knocked two of them down, and the third held onto her as the other two got up. 

“Clean her and dress her!” Loki commanded the maids. Then he turned his gaze back to Rea. “Do not try to escape. If I find out you have disobeyed me, I will kill you myself.”

With that, he spun around in a fury and stormed out of the room.


	5. Chapter 5

The maids were kind and gentle. They held her as she sobbed and tried to console her. Rea realized that they thought she was an asynja. She wondered if they would have refused to touch her if they knew what she really was. 

They bathed her, and Rea was intrigued at how her new little body not only withstood the high temperature of the bath but actually relished the soothing warmth. The maids let her soak for a long time, instinctively understanding that she needed the time to calm herself. 

After the bath, the maids dressed her in a rich green gown with a black bodice and gold accents. It wasn’t lost on her that she was being wrapped in Loki’s colors. It disturbed her greatly; what was going on?

Her blood-red hair was the only thing recognizable on her anymore, it’s darkness contrasted against the paleness of her new Aesir skin. The maids brushed her tresses and created intricate braids around her head and they left the rest to cascade down her back. 

She stared at her tiny hands while the maids worked. So pink, and the nails were so flat and blunt. How did the Aesir get anything done with such weak and inefficient limbs? The maids took her hands in theirs and gently tidied and polished her thin, flat nails to a shine and painted them with a pale pink lacquer. 

After they put liner around her eyes and red lipstick on her mouth, they brought her a mirror. 

Rea didn’t recognize the asynja who stared back at her, surprised. Her skin was pale and smooth, her family markings were gone, her forehead was flat and devoid of horns, her eyes were a strange icy blue surrounded by white. The maids told her she was beautiful- she thought she looked like a tiny monster. It gave her a bad feeling in her stomach.

They bid her goodnight and left her alone in Loki’s chambers. 

***

The door opened slowly, and Loki stepped into the room. He was clearly agitated, but when he saw Rea, the corners of his lips turned up in an involuntary smile. 

”Oh, my beautiful lie.” He stepped towards her. “You are a monster and as despicable as I am myself, but no one will know, my little queen, it is a secret we two will share always.”

Rea took a breath and stepped back. She was now a head shorter than he was and she felt intimidated as he towered over her.

This was not the man she had been talking to the last weeks, not the sympathetic teacher showing her Aesir runes, not the snarky student of Jotnar culture. This was some sort of broken creature who had taken his place and dragged her from the dungeons; stealing her true form. 

”What has happened, my prince?” a bookshelf interfered with Rea’s backward retreat. 

”I am your King now. I am Allfather.” Loki spoke gently as he reverently leaned Gungnir against the wall and walked over to a couch to sit. ”Come sit with me, my little Queen.” He caressed the space on the green velvet next to him. ”We must talk.”

Rea stared at him for a moment and realized she had no choice. She walked to the couch and sat stiffly next to Loki.

”Now, that is no way to approach your King, my little Queen.” Loki put his arm around her shoulder and drew her to him. ”Father... Uh, Odin... “ he looked away for a moment, “has fallen into the Odinsleep, and Thor has been banished to Midgard.” He looked back at Rea, searching for something in her eyes, “I am King for now, my pet.”

Rea stared at Loki, confused and frightened. 

”No one will ever know that a Frost Giant occupies Hlidskjalf, from that throne I can see all that happens in all the nine realms and beyond.” Loki chuckled conspiringly. ”I will prove to Odin that I am the more capable of his sons, even though I'm not really his blood, but the blood of his enemy, Laufey.”

Rea’s eye’s got huge at that revelation. ”What?” she breathed

”I must ensure that Thor never returns.” he continued, ignoring her question. 

With that, Loki leaned in to kiss her. Rea had often imagined kissing his illusion, but this unpredictable version of him caused her to lean back involuntarily. Loki put his hand behind her head and pulled her back to him, at the last minute changing his target to her forehead. 

”We have plenty of time, my love, ” he whispered, his forehead now leaned against hers. ”Now I must pay a visit to Thor, and to my birth father.”

He stood up, his hand lingering on the back of her head where her hair hung loose below the braids, his fingers weaving into her cascading tresses. ”I will be back to you soon, my love.” 

With that he gracefully stood up, disentangled from her hair and retrieved Gungnir from its resting place against the wall. He left Rea alone again in the chamber. 

She waited a bit and then got up and tried the door. It was locked, of course. She didn't know what she would have done were she to escape the chamber anyway. 

She consoled herself by perusing Loki’s vast collection of books. The wall was completely covered with bookshelves, books of all sorts. She read the spines and pulled out and rejected tome after tome. She really wasn’t in a state to sit and read after all, she was just expending nervous energy until she could think of what to do next. 

***

First the God of mischief and lies traveled to Midgard, appearing in front of his captured brother in Midgardian attire. He told his brother that his father was dead and his mother forbade his return. Thor took it well, but with great sadness and Loki left him to his fate. 

Then the Frost Giant runt returned to the realm of his birth and cautiously approached the King of Jotunheim. 

”Tell me why I shouldn't kill you.” the great blue monarch spoke in a tone half purr and half growl. 

”I’ve come alone and unarmed.” Loki stood his ground with the appearance of calm.

”To what end?” Laufey asked. 

The silver tongued god replied, ”to make you another proposition...”

***

Heimdallr glared at his king as Loki stepped out of the bifrost.

“What troubles you, Gatekeeper?” 

The tall gatekeeper’s brilliant golden eyes studied Loki intensely. “You were shrouded from my view, like the Frost Giants who entered this realm.”

The King looked the gatekeeper in the eyes “Perhaps your senses have weakened after so many years of service.”

“Or perhaps someone has found a way to hide what he does not wish for me to see.” The gatekeeper quickly replied. 

Loki smirked and looked the gold clad man up and down, sizing him up. “You have great power, Heimdallr, did my father ever fear you?”

“No” not a second was lost in his reply

“And why is that?” Loki’s head tipped back just a little so he could look down his nose at the taller man. 

The golden eyed man took a sharp breath “Because he is my King and I am sworn to obey him.”

“Yes! As you are sworn to obey me!” Loki then instructs him to let no one through the bifrost and swiftly returns to the palace, the gatekeeper glaring at him as he leaves. 

***

Again the door to the bed chamber flies open. Loki swiftly leans Gungnir against the wall, familiarity starting to fade the former reverence. 

Rea slides back the book she was considering. 

“Bring the book here, my Queen,” said Loki as he gracefully sat down on the velvet couch. 

“I was just looking...”

“Bring it here.”

Rea quickly pulled the book back off of the shelf, she held it in her hands and looked at the title, it was an elementary magic primer. A child’s book. She took a breath, wondering how he would react and then let out her breath and walked to the couch and sat down next to him. 

Loki frowned at the space between them, Rea reluctantly scooted towards him and closed the distance. 

Taking the book in his hands he read the title, opened the book and smiled. “This is one of the first books my mother gave to me. We would practice the spells in the garden every day. 

Rea saw a little of the man she had known in the dungeon in his eyes. She couldn’t help but smile. 

He turned the pages and seemed to be lost in his memories. 

“What are you going to do with me?” Rea interrupted his reminiscing. 

“You are my Queen, the future Allmother of Asgard” Loki laughed. “Imagine, two Frost Giants at the head of the Nine Realms.” His laughter morphed into something more sinister, the hairs on the back of Rea’s neck stood up. 

“Come, we must pay our respects to the Allfather, for he is in the Odinsleep, he may not wake up to meet you, my darling Queen.”

With that he got up and grabbed Gungnir from against the wall and put his arm out for Rea. 

Rea reluctantly rose to her feet and walked to him, hooking her arm tentatively around his. He smiled and waved the hand holding Gungnir and the door to his chambers opened. The two of them walked through the palace halls to Odin’s sleeping chamber. 

As they approached the chamber they noticed something was amiss, then they heard the guards shout.

Loki dropped Rea’s arm and ran into the chamber. Rea followed. 

When she entered the chamber she saw several Jotunns and the Queen was on the ground, a sword in her hand. 

Rea rushed to the Queen and checked her for injuries. She only found a large bruise which she soothed with her healing power. 

She saw a flash of light and heard Loki growl “And your death came by the son of Odin.” As he killed the Jotunn King. 

Rea gasped, with another flash Loki killed two more Jotunns. The Queen swiftly left Rea’s arms and grabbed her sword, shoving it between the shoulder blades of the last Jotunn. 

Rea was in shock. Jotunn bodies were all over the floor. Her instincts as a healer screamed for her to look for life, but she knew there was none. 

Loki hugged his mother, and then swore to her that he would make the Jotunns pay for what they had done. 

Then he grabbed Rea by the arm and dragged her out of the palace, over bifrost.


End file.
